Table 2.
Ten EPHOs, focusing on climate change and foodborne pathogens
| Essential public health operation | Climate change and foodborne pathogens example |
|---|---|
| 1: Food and foodborne disease surveillance | Enhanced cross country surveillance through the establishment of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. This is tasked with collecting, examining and disseminating surveillance data on over 50 infectious diseases from EU and European Economic Area |
| 2: Monitoring and response to food and health hazards and emergencies | Bodies such as INFOSAN, through which the WHO, enable countries to rapidly share information during food safety emergencies to limit the spread of food hazards |
| 3: Health protection including food safety and others | Regulations including EU General Food Law which specifies the general principles that food producers and retailers should adhere to in order to provide safe food. It also ensures the traceability of food and outlines measures detailing how unsafe food should be withdrawn or recalled |
| 4: Health promotion including action to address social determinants and health inequity | Health promotion campaigns to inform, educate and empower people about health issues that may be associated with climate change |
| 5: Food and foodborne disease prevention, including early detection of illness | Enhance use of rapid diagnostic techniques, such as real-time PCR for rapid and hence early detection of foodborne pathogens |
| 6: Assuring governance for health and wellbeing | Organisations such as the Med-Vet-Net Association for Zoonoses Research which promote cross national and multidisciplinary approaches bringing together veterinary, medical and food scientists |
| 7: Assuring a sufficient and competent public health workforce | Support by organisations such as the WHO and ECDC for materials and activities which increase awareness and build capacity within countries to understand and prevent the negative impacts of climate change on health |
| 8: Assuring sustainable organisational structures and financing | Long-term and sustainable funding for measures to prevent climate-sensitive foodborne diseases |
| 9: Advocacy communication and social mobilisation for health | The European Strategy for the control of non-communicable diseases which highlights the importance of patient empowerment and patient’s rights |
| 10: Advancing public health research to inform policy and practice | UK funding for a series of Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs); partnerships between academics and public health practitioners. The Environmental Change and Health HPRU is tasked with the joint development of knowledge, foresight and tools to mitigate against and adapt to environmental change |